Mendoza On the Road

Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza, in Argentina, was founded in 1561 with about 111,000 people. The Aconcagua (highest mountain in western hemisphere) and Andes Mountains rest here. This is the ideal place for people who enjoy skiing, hiking, horseback riding, rafting and everything nature has to offer.

Mendoza's main industry includes wine and olive oil production. The city has small little irrigation canals that run along the side of the road with water trees, which makes for a wonderful place to sit for a moment or two in the shade. There are many little cafes, restaurants, and plazas for people watching. The weather is fairly mild making outdoor activities quite enjoyable.

For sites, there are the gates of San Martin Park where there's a forested park with a zoo and amphitheatre. The ruins of San Francisco Church was originally a school built by the Jesuits but now is run by Franciscan monks. For museums, I would suggest Museum Popular Callejero, which shows the changes of Mendoza over time or Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno.

The ideal time to visit Mendoza would be during March or April when there are many festivals around the time of harvest. The most popular one being the first Saturday of March when the people pick grapes and the harvest starts. Right outside the city there are winery tours, skiing, white water rafting, kayaking, climbing, hiking, paragliding, fishing and finding wildlife.
Argentina caters to both the carnivore and the vegetarian. Mendoza is famous for its beef. For dessert there's a variety of mouse gelatine and cakes and chocolate. There are a number of different types of cuisine, but American and European tend to be the most common.

Nightlife starts at around midnight and doesn't end till dawn. There are bars, dance clubs and wine tasting places with live music and dancing for most of the night. Most locals tend to head to the live music clubs and bars. Along Ruta Panamericana there are a number of bars and dance places. Also for dance there's Chacras and Challao which is located near to the centre. There's also Regency Casino and Casino Provincial where you can go gamble and take a couple drinks.